Apparatus for making articles from pulp.



No. 788,138. PATBNTED APR. 25, 1905,

M. L KEYES.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.9,1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 788,138. PATENTED APR. 26, 1905. M. L, KBYES.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 9. 1901- 6 SHEETBSHEET 2.

PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

M. L. KEYES. APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP APPLICATION FILED D110. 9, 1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ill! M, v wllzliilismil n A o /I 6 l A 1 MI /.I./. ll 4 af I! r 5 7 I 0 M ,w w fl av 1 i I k w, M O 0 Vi W O V. 2 av u H 1 1 m T 6| "4 I! A v PATENTED APR. 25, 1905.

M. L. KEYES. APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

APPLICATION IILED DEC. 9, 1901.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. M. L. KEYES.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 0, 1901.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

UNITED STATES Patented April 25, 1905.

PATENT EETcE.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,138, dated April 25, 1905.

Application filed December 9,1901. Serial No. 85,134,.

In 11'710/11- f 111 /11 con/(writ:

Be it known thatI, bIAIt'IIN L. KIGYES,21CIti zen of the United States,and a residento'f Cambridge, county of .\Iiddlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in lpparatus for Making Articles from Pulp, of which the followingdescription,in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecilication, like figures on the drawings representing like parts.

In Patent No. HQOZS, dated September 29. I.)03.gran ted to me, is illustrated and described an apparatus for making articles from liquid pulp. which comprises a'mold having nesting faces between which the article is formed, a vat to contain the pulp, means to dip said mold E into the pulp, means to apply suction to one face of the mold while it is immersed in the pulp, whereby a layer of pulp is deposited on said face, and means to close subsequently the faces together and compress the pulp layer into an article of the desired shape. In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in said patent the mold is a traveling mold and comprises a member fixed to a moldcarrier and having one mold-face and another member pivoted to the mold-carrier and having a second mold-face. During the rotation of the carrier the fixed mold-face is immersed in the body of pulp and suction is applied thereto. whereby a layer of pulp is deposited thereon. During the continued movement of the mold-carrier the pivoted mold member is closed agaii'ist the fixed member and the layer of pulp is compressed between the mold-faces. During the further movement of the mold-carrier the moldfaccs are separated and at the same time a blast of air is forced through the faceof the fixed mold member, thereby loosening the shaped articletherefrom. Associated with this molding-face is a transferring device which is constructed to take the shaped article from the face of the pivoted member and transfer it to a carrier or conveyer, which in turn takes it into a d nving-oven. During my 1 experiments with a machine constructed substantially as illustrated in said patent I have i found it verydesirable to provide some means 5 for causing the shaped article to adhere to the i Fig. I0

I face, of the pivoted mold member as the mold members are separated, for otherwise the said article is liable to be dislodged from said face before it can be taken by the transferring device. Ihave also found itdesirable to provide means for guiding the pivoted member in its movement toward and from the fixed member, so as to make the machine run more smoothly and to avoid any shocks or jars caused by sudden movement of the parts.

y present invention has for its ob ect to improve generally the machine illustrated in my prior patent, and especially in the particulars above mentioned.

The invention will be more fully hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, liigure I is a vertical section of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mold-carrier and the molds thereon on substantially the line .1: m, Fig. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus. Fig. I is a view of the compressing device. Fig. 5 is a detail of the cam for positively opening the mold members. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side view of one of the molds. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the mold, showing the members closed. Fig. 8 is a View showing the left-hand end of the hub IO in Fig; I2. Fig. 2) is an end elevation of the collar on the shaft, hereinafter referred to. looking in the direction of arrow 0, Fig. I2. is a view on the line a a, Fig. I2, and looking in the direction of the arrow 6, said viewshowing the ports in the hub. Fig. 11 is a view on the same line looking in the opposite direction. Fig. 12 is a vertical central section of the hub of the mold-carrier; and Fig. 13 is a section on the line y, Fig. I2.

3 designates a suitable tank or receptacle to contain liquid pulp, and 9 a pivotal shaft supported above the tank and about which the mold-carrier rotates. Said mold-carrier is illustrated as comprising a hub IO, having extended radially therefrom a series of hollow arms 11, to each of which the two members I and 5 of the mold are secured, the member I being Iixed to the arm and the member 5 being pivoted thereto. In this form of the invention the mold-carrier has a plurality of arms 11, and therefore a plurality of molds. The mold members 4 and 5 are hollow, and the members 4 are each provided with a perforated mold-face 6 and each member 5 with a similar perforated mold-face 6. The faces 6 and 6 of any mold are shaped to form between them the desired article, and in this form of the invention they are nesting faces and are constructed to form dished articles like plates. The shape of the article, however, is immaterial to my invention and is governed solely by the particular shape given to the faces.

13 designates an annular ring to which each of the fixed mold members 4: is secured, said ring having gear-teeth thereon which mesh with the driving-gear 15, by means of which the mold-carrier is rotated.

The parts thus far described are or may be all as illustrated and described in my aforesaid patent, to which reference may be had for a more complete description thereof.

In the machine illustrated in my said patent the pivotal shaft about which the mold-carrier rotates is hollow and is provided with the vacuum and compressed-air cnambers, and the ports leading from the various arms to said chambers are arranged radially. In my present invention 1 have improved this structure by rearranging the ports, so that any wear which occurs can be readily taken up without causing any leakage.

The hub 10 has a series of ports 17 therein, therebeing one such port in communication with each of the hollow arms 11. These ports instead of extending entirely radially through the hub 10 open through the end of the hub, as best seen in Fig. 12, and are adapted to be brought into register with ports leading into chambers 18 and 19 in a stationary collar 16, which is fast to the pivotal shaft 9. In this form of my invention the pivotal shaft 9 may be solid, if desired. The chamber 18 in the collar 16 is a suction-chamber and is connected, by means of a suitable pipe 20, to any suitable suction apparatus. (Not shown.) The chamber 19 is a compressed-air chamber and is connected, by means of a suitable pipe 21, with an air-compressing device. (Not shown.)

The chamber 18 has the port 22, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 9, and in full lines in Fig. 13,) which port is so positioned that as the hub 10 rotates the ports 17 are successively brought into register therewith, and when any one port 17 registers with the port 22 the air will be exhausted from the mold member 4 corresponding with said port 17.

Fig. 9 shows diagrammatically the relative positions of the individual arms 11 as the ports 17 connected therewith are brought into register with the vacuum-port 22.

I would here remark that the relative positions of the hub shown in Fig. 8 and the collar in Fig. 9 are such that if the collar shown in said Fig. 9 were placed over or on top of Fig. 8 the result would be an end view of the collar and hub.

Assuming that the hub is rotating in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 8, it will be seen that when an arm 11 comes into the position designated by e the port 17 corresponding to said arm and which is indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 9, is just about to comeinto register with the vacuum-port 22. At this position of the arm 11 the mold member 4 connected to such arm will be approximately in the position of the mold member designated by e in Fig. 2 or a little below this position and will just have been immersed in or covered by the pulp in the vat. The continued movement of the mold-carrier brings the port 17 fully into register with the port 22, and the air is then exhausted from said mold member, the vacuum continuing so long as the port 17 continues in register with the port 22, which in the embodiment of my invention shown is until the arm 11 reaches nearly the position designated by j. The vacuum thus established in the mold member 1 causes a layer of pulp to adhere to the face 6 thereof, which layer is subsequentl y compressed between the mold-faces and formed into an article of the desired shape, as described in said patent. This compressing of the pulp layer is accomplished by the mold members passing through a compression device, which is similar in many respects to that illustrated in my above-mentioned patent in that it embodies the swinging compression member 31. having the curved face 36, which engages the swell 37 on the back of each member 5, and the roll 33, which bears against the face 35 of the mold-carrier. In this form of my invention, however, the swinging compression member 31 and the roll 33 are both carried by a bar or support 40, which may be secured to the top and which has a U- shaped portion to receive the outer edge of the ring 13, as seen in Fig. 3. As each mold passes between the roll and the compression device 31 the latter by its rolling engagement with the swell 37 operates to press the mold members solidly together, whereby the pulp layer is compressed and shaped into the desired article between the faces 6 and 6.

The cam 31 is preferably yieldingly mounted and for this purpose is shown pivoted to a suitable slide 41, carried by the support 10, the slide being backed by ayielding plate 13, of rubber or some similar material, which is shown as confined between a backing-plate a3 and the said slide.

An ad justing-screw 42, engagaging the plate 43, serves to properly adjust the cam 31. With this device all the pressure developed in compressing the pulp between the mold members is taken by the U-shaped support 40. After the pulp layer has been thus compressed between the mold-faces 6 6 the said faces are separated, and at the same time compressed air is admitted to the member 1 for the purpose of loosening the article therefrom, all as more fully described in my said patent. For this purpose the collar 16 has an air-port 25, leading into the compressed-air chamber 19, said port being so situated that the port 17 for any mold is brought into register therewith when the mold reaches zmproximately the position designated by j, Figs, S, and 9. The force of the blast of air through the face 6 operates to separate the mold members and at the same time to loosen the shaped article from said face. During the further rotation of the mold-carrier the mold member 5 is swung into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1, and at the same time the pneumatic pick-off is brought into register therewith to remove the shaped article from said face 6. Since the pulp layer is in the first instance sucked onto the face 6 of each mold and is, after being compressed between said faces, transferred to the face 6 and by the latter carried into position to be taken by the pickoff, I will for convenience refer to the face 6 of each mold as the forming-face" and the face (8 of each mold as the receiving-face, and by the term receiving-face 1 mean that face of the mold which receives the article from the other face when the mold-faces are separated and retains the article until it is taken therefrom.

l have found in practicethat it is very desirable to employ some means to insure that the shaped article shall adhere to the receiving-face of the mold while it is being moved from the closed position to that in which it registers with the pick-off, for otherwise the article might be dislodged from the said face before it was taken by the pick-off. In the present embodiment of this invention this is accomplished by connecting the said pivotal mold member with the exhausting apparatus during the time that said member is being moved from its closed to its open position, whereby the pulp article is held to said re ceiving-face by suction. The means l have illustrated for accomplishing this are as follows: Each arm 11 is provided with a bracket 11, to which the corresponding arm 12 is pivoted, and said bracket is shown as having connected thereto a pipe 28, which communicates with a port 27 in the hub 10. The pivoted connection between the arm 12 and the bracket 11 is preferably such that there is always an open communication between the said arm and the pipe 28, this being provided for conveniently by making the arm 12 with a flat-faced hinge member 30 at its end, which is pivoted to a cooperating hinge member 31 on the bracket. Each of these members has concentric annular grooves 29, which register with each other to form an annular chamber, which is connected to the arm 12 and pipe 28 by means of passages 32. lt will be obvious that this construction allows of a continuously-open communication between each mold member 5 and the corresponding pipe 28 regardless of the position of the said members.

Mounted upon the shaft 9 is a second nonrotary collar 90, which engages the opposite side of the hub 10 from the collar 16 and which is cored or otherwise formed to make two chambers 91 92, one of said chambers, 92, being connected by a suitable pipe 9?) with the exhausting apparatus and the other chamber, 91, being connected by any suitable pipe 9 1 to the air-compressor. A port 95 is provided in the face of the collar 90 and communicates with the vacuuni-chamber 92, the said port being so situated as to register with the cooperating ports 27 in the face of the hub 10, which ports in turn communicate with the arms 28. \Vhen each arm 11 reaches the positionj, Figs. 2, 8, and 9, which is the same as positionj, Figs. 10 and 11, theport 2T corresponding to such arm is brought into register with the port 35, and consetpiently the air will be exhausted from the compressor member :5, this action being sii'nultaneous with the admission of compressed air into the fixed member l.

The port 95 is shown as elongated, so that the 'acumn will remain on the pivoted mold member 5 until the arm to which it is pivoted is ina substantially vertical position, as shown at k, at which time the pivoted arm 12 stands substantially horizontal, (see Fig. 2,) and consequently the pulp article will be positively held to the receiving-face while it is being brought into this position.

Just as each pivoted mold member reaches its horizontal position a pick-otf, hereinafter described, is brought into register therewith, which operates by suction to lift the article from the mold member and transfer it onto a suitable convcyer. In order that this action may be sure, I prefer to introduce into the said mold member a jet of compressed air just as the pick-off comes into register therewith, whereby the pulp article is blown from the face of the mold at the same time that it is sucked to the piclcotl. The article is thus subjected to the influence of both compressed air and suction. The construction which permits this operation is a port 111. leading to the compressedair chamber 91, and a series of cooperating ports 96 in thehub 10, said ports 96 being shown as leading into the ports 27. From this it will be seen that as soon as any arm 11 comes into the vertical position Z' and the pivoted arm 12 has been brought into its horizontal position with the mold member in register with the pick-elf the ports 111 and 96 are brought into register and compressed air will for an instant be admitted to the mold member 5 to assist in forcing the shaped pulp article therefrom.

I have illustrated each mold member 1 as having the chambered extension 51, which is of such a shape that by the time the arm 11,

reaches the position designated by j the bottom of said chamber will be sufficiently inclined so that all the superfluous water will drain out of the mold member 4 into the arm 11, the water of course accumulating in the lower end of the arm, or rather in the lower portion of the port 17, as soon as the said port passes out of register with the vacuum-port 22. It will be seen from Figs. 8 to 12 that the compressed-air ports 25 and 26 are situated in a larger circle than the vacuum-ports 17 and 22, and consequently when any arm 11 reaches the position and is ready to receive a charge of compressed air the air will be admitted to said arm above the lower portion of the port 17. If now there should be any accumulation of water in the lower part of the port 17, such water will not be blown back into the mold, as would be the case if the compressed-air port 25 were situated to register with the port 17. It is also essential that there should be no accumulated water either in the pipe 28 or in the pivoted mold member at the time when the article is to be removed from the mold, for since the discharging of the article from the mold is accomplished partly by the action of the pickoff and partly by a jet of compressed airit will be readily seen that if any such accumulated water should be blown into the pulp article by the jet of compressed air said article would be so softened as to prevent its being handled.

In the best form of my invention now known to me I prefer to provide means for holding the pivoted mold member out of the pulp as the other mold member is being passed through the pulp, and in Fig. 2 such means is shown as a track or guideway 98, which is suitably supported in such a position as to support the pivoted arm 12 as the mold-carrier rotates. The said track 98 is concentric with the axis of rotation of the mold-carrier and is preferably extended slightly above the horizontal diameter of said mold-carrier, so as to catch and engage the under side of each arm 12 as the carrier rotates. This construction prevents any water from accumulating in the pivoted mold member as the pulp is being deposited on the face of the fixed member, and if during the compressing of the pulp any water should be forced into the pivoted mold member it will be sucked or drawn through the hub by the suction apparatus. In order, however, that any water which might by any chance be retained in the port 27 may not be blown back into the mold 5, I have arranged the compressed-air ports 96 on a larger circle than the vacuum-ports 27, so that the blast of compressed air will be delivered from the chamber 91 into the pipe 28 above the lower part of the port 27. The end of the track 98 is turned inwardly toward the ring 13. As the arm 12 passes 01f the said track it comes under a curved track or guide 100, which guide contacts with the outside of the arm 12 and serves to gradually close the same toward the arm 11, so that by the time the mold members have reached the compressing device they will be substantially closed together. This track 100, which is supported in any suitable way, as by means of arms 101, is for the first portion of its length concentric with the axis of the mold-carrier, but at a point 102 it is bent or deflected outwardly from the mold-carrier to form the arm 103, the point 102 being such that the arm 11 passes over the same just as it reaches the positionj. The arm 103 therefore allows the pivoted or compressor member 5 to gradually swing away from the fixed mold member and prevents any sudden jar or shock which would be occasioned if the track were omitted.

I have also provided a separating device in the form of a wedge or cam for positively opening the mold members in case the blast of compressed air should be insufiicient for this purpose. This cam is shown as comprising the two members 10 1 and 105, set at an angle to each other to form a wedge-shaped end, the point of which, 106, is situated opposite the bend 102 in the track and also opposite the position The arm 10 1 is substantially parallel to the arm 103, while the arm 105 is parallel to the ring 13 and concentric with the axis of the mold-carrier. From this description it will be obvious that as the mold members reach the point j the point 106 of the separator positively forces the said members apart, the stem 12 of the compressor member 5 being caught between the tracks or guides 10 1 103. and thus being gradually brought to the horizontal position.

The separator may be supported in any suitable way, and for this purpose I have illustrated one or more supports 107, secured to the vat or tank outside of the ring or mold carrier and being bent at their upper ends to form goosenecks. which are connected to the said separator. I preferably provide each stem 12 with an antifriction-roll 110, which engages the guides or tracks 98 100 103 10 1, 860., thus reducing the friction to a minimum.

The transferring device herein illustrated is similar in many respects to the aforesaid patent and is identical in every respect to that illustrated and described in my copending application, Serial No. 138,66 L, filed January 12, 1903, and further description thereof is not necessary herein.

To hold the collars 16 and 90 tightly against the hub, so as to make a tight valve-joint between them and the hub, I preferably make the collar 16 fast to the shaft 9 and secure the collar 90 to the shaft in such a manner that it will be non-rotary, but may have a movement longitudinally of the shaft. The shaft 9 has an adjusting-nut 210 thereon, between which and the slidably-mounted collar present invention have been illustrated as applied to the form of pulp-molding machine illustrated in my aforesaid patent. yet I wish it understood that they maybe used in connection with other types of pulp-molding machines. This is especially true of the feature of the invention which relates to applying suction to the receiving-face before the moldfaces are separated, whereby the shaped article caused to adhere to said face. I desire to have it understood, therefore, that the appended claims are not limited, unless so exp ressly stated, to the type of pulp-molding machine illustrated in this application. Certain features of the invention, especially that relating to the application of suction to the reri-eivmgface, as above stated, are equally apj plicable to pulp-molding machines in which 1 the mold is a non-traveling mold, as machines of the class illustrated, wherein the mold is a l traveling mold. It will be understood, therefore. that very many changes in the constructional details of the parts may be made without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. .In an apparatus of the class described, a traveling mold having a plurality of cooperating faces constructed to form between them an article from pulp, a pulp-vat into which one only of said faces dips to receive a layer of pulp, and means to compress said faces together at a point farther on in the travel of the molds to form said article.

2. In an apparatus for making articles from pulp, a pulp-containing vat, a traveling mold having a plurality of cooperating faces adapted to form an article between them, means to pass one only of said faces into the pulp in the vat, suction devices operating to deposit a layer of pulp on said face while it is immersed in the pulp, and means to compress the layer of pulp and shape the article between said faces farther on in the traveling movement of the mold.

3. In apparatus for making pulp articles, a pulp-receptacle, a two-part mold comprising hollow members having cooperating perforated faces, means to periodically immerse one member only of said mold in said receptacle, means to exhaust the airfrom said mold member while it is thus innnersed, whereby a layer of pulp is drawn onto the face thereof, means to compress said pulp between the faces of the two mold members, and shape the article, and means to loosen the shaped article from the mold-faces by a blast of air.

-L. In apparatus for making pulp articles, a pulp-receptacle, a two-part mold comprising two hollow mold members having perforated co '3perating mold-faces, means to periodically immerse one only of the mold members in said receptacle, the other of said mold members being held out of the pulp, means to cause a layer of pulp to adhere to the face of said first-named member, means to press said layer of pulp and shape the pulp article between the mold members, and means to loosen the shaped article from the mold-faces by a blast of air.

5. In apparatus for making pulp articles, a pulp-containing vat, a two-part mold comprising two mold members having cooperating perforated faces, means to periodically immerse one only of the mold members in the pulp, means to automatically exhaust the air from said member while thus immersed, whereby a layer of pulp is deposited on the face thereof, means to compress said pulp layer between the members, and means to loosen the shaped article from the mold-faces by a blast of air.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a pulp-containing vat, a revolving mold-carrier comprising a hub having a series of radiallyarranged hollow arms extended therefrom, each arm having lixed thereto a mold member, and pivoted thereto a cot'iperating mold member, a compressed-air chamber and a vacuuni-chamber, two series of ports in said hub, the ports of one series comn'iunicating with the fixed mold members, while the ports of the other series communicate with the movable mold mcmbers, and means whereby as the mold-carrier rotates, the lixed mold members are successively immersed in the pulp, and the ports communicating therewith are simultaneously brought into register with the vacuum-chamber, and subsequently the ports of each series are brought into register with the compressed-air chamber, and means for closing the two mold members together subsequent to the immersion of the lixed mold member in the tank, and previous to the time of admission of compressed air thereto.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a pulp-containing vat, a two-part traveling mold comprising two hollow members having perforated cot'iperating faces, means to deposit a layer of pulp on said mold during its traveling movement, means to close said members and compress said pulp layer between the same, means to admit compressed air to one mold member and exhaust the air from the cooperating member, whereby said members are opened and the shaped article is caused to adhere to the mold member having vacuum therein, and means to remove said article from said member.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a pulp-containing vat, a series of traveling twopart molds, one part of each of said molds being periodically immersed in the pulp during the traveling movement of the mold, means to deposit a layer of pulp on said mold while it is immersed in the pulp, means to close together the members of each mold in succession, means to admit compressed air to one of each of said molds subsequent to the closing of the same together, and simultaneously exhaust air from the cooperating member whereby the mold members are opened and the shaped article is caused to adhere to the mold member having a vacuum therein, and means to subsequently admit compressed air to said last-named mold member to force the article therefrom.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, a vat for containing pulp, a rotary mold-carrier, a series of mold members fixed thereto and a second series of mold members pivoted thereto, the fixed mold members being immersed in the pulp during a portion of the rotation of the carrier, and a guide controlling the movement of the pivoted mold members and operating to hold the same out of the pulp while the fixed members are immersed therein, and then close each pivoted mold member against its corresponding fixed memher and subsequently to separate said members.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, a vat to contain pulp, a rotating mold-carrier comprising radial arms, a mold member fixed to the end of each arm, and a cooperating mold member pivoted to each arm, and a track or guide to control the movement of the pivoted mold member, the construction being such that during each rotation of the mold carrier the pivoted mold member is for the first portion of its rotation held separated from its cooperating fixed mold member while the pulp is being deposited on the latter and during the continued rotation of the mold-carrier said pivoted mold member is first closed against the cooperating mold member to compress said layer of pulp, and subsequently moved away from its cooperating mold member whereby the pulp article is exposed for removal.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, a vat to contain pulp, a rotary mold-carrier supported above the vat to rotate about a horizontal axis, said mold-carrier having a series of radial arms, a mold member fixed to the end of each arm and adapted during the rotation of the said carrier to be immersed in the pulp, a cooperating mold member pivoted to each arm intermediate its ends, and a guide to control the movements of the pivoted mold member, said guide being so shaped as to hold each pivoted mold member in a substantially horizontal position above the pulp while the cooperating member is immersed in the pulp and to close each of said pivoted mold members against its cooperating fixed member after the latter leaves the pulp and subsequently to swing each pivoted member away from its cooperating member, whereby the article may be removed.

12. In an apparatus for making articles from pulp, a mold having a molding-face, a vat to contain pulp, means to move the molding-face into and out from the pulp in the vat, means to deposit a layer of pulp on the molding-face, a compressing member coacting with the molding-face to compress the pulp deposited on the said molding-face, and a guide for the comprcssing member, said guide acting to move said compressing member positively toward and from the molding-face at the proper time.

13. In a pulp-molding machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a perforated mold-face, means to cause the same to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same and cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a perforated receiving-face, means to bring said faces together and separate the same, and means to cause suction through said receivingface before said faces are separated, to cause said receiving-face to retain said article.

I I. In a pulp-molding machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a perforated mold-face, means to cause the same to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same and cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a perforated receiving-face, means to bring said faces together and separate the same, a valve device to shut off suction through said first face, and means to cause suction through said receiving-face before said faces are separated, to cause said receiving-face to retain said article.

15. In a pulp-molding machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a perforated mold-face, means to cause the same to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same and cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a perforated receiving-face nesting with said first face, means to bring said faces together and separate the same, and means to cause suction through said receiving-face before said faces are separated, to cause said receivingface to retain said article.

16. In a pulp-machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a perforated mold-face adapted to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same to cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a second perforated mold-face, means to press said faces together to form said article and separate the same, and means to cause suction through said second face before said faces separate whereby said article is retained by said second face.

IT. In a pulp-machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a

perforated sloping-sided mold-face adapted to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same to cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a second sloping-sided perforated mold-face nesting with said first face, means to press said faces together to form said article and separate the same, and means to cause suction through said second face before said faces separate whereby said article is retained by said second face.

18. In a pulp-machine in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a suitable pulp, a perforated mold-face adapted to dip into the pulp therein, a suction device to apply suction through the same to cause a layer of pulp to be deposited thereon, a second perforated mold-face, means to press said faces together to form said article and separate the same, and means to cause suction through said second face before and until after said faces separate whereby said article is retained by said second face.

I9. In a machine for moldingarticles from pulp. a mold having a forming and a receiving face, means to apply a layer of pulp to the formii'1gface, means to compress said layer between faces and separate them, and means to apply suction to the receiving-face before the faces are separated, whereby the article is retained by the receiving-face.

20. In a machine of the class described, a mold comprising a plurality of separable mold-faces, means to dip one face into a body of pulp to receive a layer thereof, means to compress the pulp layer between the faces, and means to apply suction to one of the faces before the faces are separated whereby the article is retained by said face.

21. In an apparatus of the class described, a rotatable mold-carrier, a mold supported thereby and comprising separable members, each member having a molding-face, one member being fixed to the carrier and the other member pivoted thereto, and means to guide the pivoted mold member in its movement toward and from the fixed member.

22. In an apparatus of the class described, a rotatable mold-carrier, a mold supported thereby and comprising a member fixed to the carrier and another member pivoted thereto, each member having a molding-face, a vat to contain pulp, the rotation of the mold-carrier causing the fixed member of the mold to dip into the pulp, and a guide for the pivoted mold member operating to hold the latter out of the body of pulp while the fixed member is immersed therein.

In an apparatus of the class described, a vat to contain pulp, a movable mold-carrier, a mold supported thereby, said mold comprising a member fixed to the carrier and a momber pivoted thereto, each member having a molding-face, the movement of the carrier carryingthe fixed mold member into the pulp, and a guide for controlling the movement of the pivoted mold member toward and from the fixed member.

2f In a machine for molding articles from pulp, a vat to contain pulp, a traveling mold formed of a plurality of separable members each having a molding-face, a rotatable member carrying said mold, one of said mold-faces being pivoted on a pivot transverse to the axis of said rotatable member, means to cause one of said faces to dip into the pulp in the vat and receive a layer of pulp, means to press said faces together to form the article, and a wedge-shaped separator to enter between the mold members during the travel of the mold to force the faces apart after the article is formed.

In a machine for molding articles from pulp, a vat to contain pulp, a traveling mold formed of a plurality of separable faces, a rotatable member carrying said mold, one of said mold-faces being pivoted on a pivot transverse to the axis of said rotatable member, means to cause one of said faces to dip into the pulp in the vat and receive a layer of pulp, means to compress said faces together to form the article, a separator to force the faces apart after the article is formed, and means to apply suction to one of said faces before they are separated, whereby the article is retained thereby.

26. In a machine for molding articles from pulp, a traveling mold formed of a plurality of separable faces, a rotatable member carrying said mold, one of said mold-faces being pivoted on a pivot transverse to the axis of said rotatable member, the rotation of the member causing one of the faces to dip into the pulp in the vat to receive a layer thereof, means topress said faces together to form said article, and a guide to control the movement of the pivoted face toward and from the other face.

27. In a machine for forming articles from pulp, a pulp-vat, a mold formed of a plurality of separable faces, a rotatable mold-carrier supporting said mold, one of the mold-faces being pivoted to move toward and from the other mold-face, and means to guide the pivoted face in its movement toward and from the mold-face, the rotation of the mold-carrier operating to cause one of said faces to dip into the pulp to receive a layer thereof.

28. In a machine for forming articles from pulp, a vat, a rotatable mold-carrier, a mold supported thereby and comprising two separable members each having a perforated moldface, said carrier having two ports at different radial distances from its axis of rotation, each communicating with one of the mold members, a member having vacuum and compressed-air chambers provided with ports adapted to register with the ports in the moldcarrier, the ports in the vacuum-chamber registering with those in the mold-carrier which are nearest the axis of rotation, and those of the compressed-air chamber registering with the other ports of the mold-carrier.

29. In a machine for molding articles from pulp, a pulp-vat, a pivotal shaft, a mold-carrier rotatable about the shaft, said carrier comprising a hub having hollow radial arms, a mold secured to each arm, each mold comprising separable members, said hub having a lateral port communicating with each arm and a fixed collar having vacuum and compressed-air chambers provided with ports which register with those in the hub.

30. In a machine for forming pulp articles, a receptacle for containing pulp, a perforated mold-face, automatic means to give a relative l movement between said face and receptacle, whereby the said face is caused to dip into the pulp in the receptacle and rise therefrom, a suction device to apply suction through said face, whereby the latter receives a layer of pulp while it is immersed therein, a receiving-face at all times outside of the pulp in said receptacle, means to move said faces together, and means to apply suction to said receiving-face to transfer the article to said face.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN L. KEYES.

Witnesses:

LoUIs 0. SMITH, LoUIsE ROTHSTEIN. 

